A Systems Biology Perspective on Genetic Variation and Aging

Researchers have identified evolutionarily conserved molecular mechanisms of aging and discovered interventions that increase healthspan and lifespan in laboratory models. This work is now motivating clinical trials in companion animals and humans. However, we know little about the extent to which aging mechanisms discovered in the lab account for the enormous variation we observe in age-related morbidity and mortality in natural populations or the extent to which interventions discovered in the lab can extend healthy lifespan outside of the lab. I will discuss why it is important to study natural variation for aging-related traits, the challenges in doing so and how systems biology approaches and metabolomics in particular, can help us overcome some of those challenges. I will focus primarily on our work using the fruit fly as a model system, but will also discuss other systems, including the Dog Aging Project, a powerful, Open Science initiative focused on the systems biology of aging.

Daniel Promislow began working on the evolution of aging over 30 years ago as a graduate student at the Univer­sity of Oxford. Following postdoctoral work in France and Canada, he spent 18 years in the Department of Genetics at the University of Georgia. In 2013, he moved to the University of Washington, where he is currently a professor in the departments of biology and pathology. Throughout his career, Promislow has focused on the biology of aging and age-related disease. In particular, his work addresses the challenge of understanding how genes and the environ­ment shape patterns of aging in natural populations, using theoretical models, epidemiological analysis and empirical studies.

This event can be attended in person (LSC 202) or online via Zoom: https://asu.zoom.us/j/82957088776